PROFESSOR Welshman Ncube’s MDC has vowed it will not be easily swept up by the current fever to join forces with ousted Vice President President Joice Mujuru’s semi-existing People First party.

The former Zanu PF stalwart was late last year dislodged from her lofty party and government positions during a fierce party witch-hunt for those angling to dethrone President Robert Mugabe from the helm of the party.

Her backers and Zanu PF opponents have since been cheering her to bell the cat and openly challenge for President Mugabe’s job.

The cheers reached a crescendo early this week when the country’s former number two released her manifesto which observers say was her clearest statement yet that she was gunning for the Presidency.

Mujuru is touted as the most likely candidate to lead a proposed coalition of opposition forces, a position which is said to be backed by the western donor community.

Local media was this week awash with calls for MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai to form a tug team with Mujuru to enhance the opposition’s long elusive chances to outpoll Zanu PF in 2018.

Likewise, smaller opposition forces were called to swallow their pride and rally behind the long desired grand coalition.

But the MDC faction said Thursday it will not go so cheaply, insisting Mujuru and her team were yet to become a fully-fledged political party to warrant any seriousness.

“We don’t know of any political party led by Joice Mujuru,” party spokesperson Kurauone Chihwayi said in a statement.

“We don’t know its constitution, values and principles. We don’t even know who its leaders are.

“As MDC, we don’t work on hypotheticals. We don’t comment about parties which don’t exist. Come back to us when it is formed and we will be in a position to make that determination.”

Chihwayi said the participation of erstwhile comrade and MDC founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai in the envisaged coalition was difficult to contemplate, insisting the former Prime Minister had long squandered his democratic credentials.

“The MDC remains ready and committed to working together with all genuine, like minded democrats to defeat the hegemony of Zanu PF and bring back sanity to our beloved Zimbabwe,” he said.

“Morgan Tsvangirai has compared favourably with Zanu PF so far in terms of dictatorial tendencies, violence and corruption and therefore we do not classify him in that category of genuine democrats.” source-newzimbabwe